If you're got an event coming up that you want to tell the world about, use the event calendar to spread the word! It's really easy!

Really! Even a cartoonist can do it! (See what I mean about easy?) Once you've mastered a few minor bits and pieces, you'll be posting and publicizing events with ease!

First, select "Create content" from the menu in the right sidebar. That will reveal several options, including "Event". Click on that option.

Now, you're looking at the Event Entry page. There's a bewlidering array of options here, but it's not going to be that difficult. In fact, creating a basic, one-time-only event is very simple. All you have to do is set the time and date of the event's start, time and date of the event's end, and then provide a few details.

First, use the drop-down menus to set the start and end time of the event. The time is listed in 24-hour military time, so add 12 to your hours for PM. Note that you can enter events years and years and years in to the future--perfect for planning the wedding of your great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren!

Also, you can mark an event as lasting "all day". This will remove the time form the start and end entry areas. This is mostly used for things like holidays or birthdays.

eventtextNow, you get to tell the world about your event. Click in the box under "Title" and type a title for the event. Press the TAB key or click in the "body" box and you can enter all the information you want about the event. This can be anything: the nature of the event, directions, etc. You can even add images and maps to the text (but, to paraphrase a certain TV chef: that's another episode.)

You are now literally two clicks away from entering your event to the calendar.

previewbuttonLook at the bottom of the page for the "Preview" button. This button will be on every page that allows you to enter data to the site. When you click it, it will generate a preview of how your event will appear when alll is said and done. This allows you to check for errors, typos, or other things you'd want to fix before making the event available to the general public. Go ahead and click the "Preview" button at this time.

An event's preview, as seen in Apple's SafariYour browser will now show the preview. There's two versions: an abbreviated version and the full monty. The abbreviated version, which is the first 400 characters, isn't really germane to the event module, so just ignore it for now.

Make any changes to your text that are necessary, and click "Preview" again to view the changes. If everything looks good, then click "Submit". The site will confirm that your event has been added to the calendar.

That's it! See how easy it is?

So, to review:

1. Click "Create Content", then "Event".
2. Set the start and end time and date for the event.
3. Add details about the event.
4. Click "Preview" to check your work.
5. Make any edits that are necessary, then click "Preview" again to check your work.
6. When everything is perfect, click "Submit" to add the event to the calendar.
7. Pop open a cold one in celebration of a job well done (purely optional)